The Hedgehog's Dilemna
by Nike Athena
Summary: Or, Five Ways in which Hibari Kyouya is a normal, human boy.


Title: The Hedgehog's Dilemna (or Five Ways in which Hibari Kyouya is a Normal Human Boy)  
Author: me  
Rating: G  
Pairing: none, really. Maybe platonic stuff?  
Warnings: None- randomness?

zero. Hibari Kyouya was one of the most fearsome and brutal people known to Namimori; the residents of Namimori (particularly the middle high students in Namimori Middle) considered him to be, without a doubt, one of the most vicious people in Tokyo. He probably was. They failed, more often than not, in seeing the other, completely normal and human side of the boy, therefore, which was witnessed by only a select few people. This sort of humanity wasn't contrived and Hibari never attempted to squash it; he was even mildly surprised when others confronted him about it.

one. Kyouya got colds with a startling frequency; these would manifest, mostly, in a little rattle in his breathing that would often be cleared with a cough. The last time he got really, horribly sick was when he was in middle school. That was when Tetsuya had tried to wake Hibari up for gym class (not actually participating, or anything, but observing, making sure everything went smoothly); Kyouya did not wake.

It was a rather panicked Diciplinary Committee that arranged an ambulance, and Kyouya was still unresponsive, still laying in repose on the leather couch in the student lounge, body limp and cold when Kusakabe picked him up to lift him onto the stretcher. It was the most terrifying thing in the world, to see the most terryifying person in the world like this (though the world was made better in about half-an-hour, when they slid an IV needle loaded with Ringer's solution into his frail-looking arm, and he woke, thirsty and irritated; no one had known that he was so dehydrated he had collapsed)

two. Kyouya, though he hated people and crowds, was tolerant with a few people surrounding him; when the mass passed more than six, he would distance himself from the group, more often than not to a corner or a window. He didn't really mind being touched, however, which often came to the unwarranted surprise of others. Like, when bidding his mother goodbye from their mansion doorway on his way to school, Kusakabe watched as he allowed her to give his cheek a kiss, and even gave one in return.

Even Tetsuya, who respected Kyouya far too much to touch him casually and frequently, would only touch Kyouya occasionally; a brief hand on the other boy's shoulder, a few murmured words into the shell of his ear (and it always surprised Tetsuya as to how delicate Kyouya really was; it felt as if he was touching the shoulder of a girl).

three. Or, later, when a new ice-cream vending machine had made it's garish and uninvited appearance in downtown Namimori, near the shopping district, and Kyouya had expressed his intentions of going to find it. It had been a Sunday after school, though Kyouya still wore his school uniform, and in the middle of May. Kusakabe had watched Kyouya elegantly considering the machine for several minutes, before Kyouya expressed his intention of finding out who put it there and then biting them to death. It was far too garish. During his mostly monologue speech, a small child, a boy Kusakabe realized, had come up behind Kyouya and, seeming to be rather intimidated by the fluorescent machine, clung shyly to Kyouya's pant-leg and back pocket.

At first, Kusakabe had feared for the child's continued existence, and then realized that, even as Hibari considered the vending machine more closely, he had gently cupped the back of the boy's head absently. He had then turned, handing his bought but not eaten ice cream to the boy, and said they were going to pay a visit to the mayor of Namimori.

four. Most people didn't know that Hibari Kyouya loved to sing. He had a singular deep, rich voice that belied his years, and was beautiful enough to make girls swoon listening to it (though the last time Kyouya had had to sing in front of other people was last year, when Kyouya had sung the Namimori anthem before the members of the Diciplinary Committee as a guiding post, and a girl had been unfortunate enough to hear. She had soon gathered about a dozen or so of her female friends and they all stood in the gym doorway, squealing and crowding before Hibari scared them off.)

Tetsuya thought Kyouya's voice was about the best he'd ever heard (especially on those strange occasions that Kyouya would sing when no one else was around, and his voice, filling whatever space they were in, would hypnotize Tetsuya, because it was a sound that didn't really belong to a middle-school student. _Farewell to the Arrowshoot Leaf_ suddenly had new meaning).

five. Almost no one knew that changes in the elements affected Hibari greatly; weather too hot had the boy sluggish, but perfectly functional when he had to be (and though he kept himself impeccably dressed while in school, when he was at his leisure, he would often open his shirt, or shed articles of clothing all together, and drink something cool). Winter saw an increase in Kyouya's sleeping, so he was usually to be found on the roof, or in some sunny spot napping (and he wore lots of scarves, mittens, and hats, and had several, down-filled backup jackets when he needed them; he would still look cold, though, his nose reddening, his fingers always cold).

This was why he liked spring the most, but recently around sakura trees, his face would sour when he looked at their petals, a look that trapped Tetsuya's breath somewhere in his throat. Kyouya was always mute on the subject. Tetsuya didn't know until one night almost nine years later.

.


End file.
